


Diner Lovin'

by rainbowthefox



Category: FNAF, Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-06-07 17:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6817780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowthefox/pseuds/rainbowthefox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fredbear's Family Diner opened, Springtrap and Goldie were created to sing to families onstage during the day. The children sometimes watched them perform and the animatronics turned into a side show. When one of bots experiences a malfunction one day, they are then introduced to new animatronics that will change Fazbear Entertainment's future for the better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Ready for another round, Springy!?"

"You betcha', Goldie!"

"Alright, now when I count to 3, you're going to start and I'm going to lead. We're just gonna waltz' around the room and-"

"Gold, we're not dancing."

"Really? What're we doing, then?"

A few snickers came out from the audience across from us as I continued to stare at the bear that stood a few feet away from me. The sounds of children giggling in the audience made me have to refrain from smiling.

"We're singing a song, Goldie! Don't you remember?"

His green eyes traveled away from my gray ones as they traveled up to the ceiling. He tapped metal finger on his chin releasing a slight click; almost as if he were deep in thought. After a few moments, he shrugged.

"I don't think I recall us singing a song, Spring."

"You don't?" I asked in a concerned tone. He shook his head. Following the script that was programmed inside of me today, I then turned to grab my guitar as I started to tune it. Goldie tilted his metal head at me in confusion.

"What are you doing, Springtrap?"

"I'm tuning my guitar for the song we're gonna play," I replied happily. Goldie rolled his eyes.

"Spring, I told you! I don't remember the song we're supposed to sing."

Several noises were heard within the audience as families continued to talk to each other as they ate their meals. Some children were currently nearby stage as they continue to watch us; eager to know what will happen in our sideshow.

"'Course you do, Goldie!" I replied. "It's called...uh..."

My eyes widened as I tried to remember the title of the song. My fingers stopped tuning as I stared off in the distance. After a few moments, I shook my head in irritation.

"Shoot! Now I forgot it, too!"

Some children that were in front of us laughed as they started to sit in front of the stage. Many families remained at their tables as they worked on finishing their meals; the sound of forks clattering against plates going along with the music that played in the background of the building.

Goldie chuckled. "Looks like neither of us remember the song."

"No, no, I remember it," I said as I turned to him. "Just not the title."

"Isn't the title somewhere in the lyrics?" He asked; somewhat concerned. I shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out, won't we?"

The children in front of us exchanged excited glances; knowing what this transition meant. I grabbed a chip from the nearby table and held it in my mouth for a moment; tuning the rest of my guitar. Once it was fully tuned, I then started to play the instrumental of the beginning of the song.

Some chatter in the table area ceased down as I started to sing:

"Walkin' down the road,  
Singing to myself alone  
What is the purpose?  
Why am I here?'  
Where am I going?  
Am I even near?

I've gone so far down this road  
To a place I don't even know  
Where am I going? What am I doing?  
The answer to that, I don't quite know"

I then glanced at Goldie, who gave me a knowing look in return; signaling he recognized the song. The bear chuckled before adjusting his top hat, singing:

"It's been 5 days I've been alone  
Down this dusty, old dirt road  
The sun is blazing; the wind is ragin'  
My path is blinded; I've no directions

I've always thought I was hopeless;  
Never knowing where to go  
All I ever see is road and road  
Never an ending; never a sign"

We both looked at each other before starting to sing in unison:

"But when we were at our lowest;  
We had no hope, we had no reason  
But we took the chance  
And when we walked through it longer,  
Our paths combined; bringing us together  
In which you're forever mine

When you're by my side,  
The road doesn't seem so long  
My destination looks like it's getting closer  
And all I need it to reach is  
Just you"

We both then paused before bowing down in front of our audience; immediately having the children burst into applause as some families in the table area joined them. Goldie and I exchanged glances as we then switched sides on the stage. I put my instrument to the side as Goldie put his microphone back on the stand.

We waited until the room quieted down. Once it did, Goldie turned to me.

"So THAT was the song!"

"Sure was, Goldie!" I responded in a happy manner. "Do ya' remember the name of it, now?"

"'Course I do! It's 'Down the Road', right?"

"You betcha'!"

The children had smiles in front of us as some older kids had left the audience back to the tables. I watched as some adults had gotten up and gathered utensils and napkins that were put to the side. The kitchen in the back had several noises coming out from it and was followed by the sound of forks clattering against dishes.

I watched as a certain man came in from the back room and had swiftly made his way to the front of the kitchen. Some employees came up to talk to him and he leaned over the counter casually. My eyes widened in surprise.

I then leaned over to Goldie and said in a low tone, "Fazbear's Here."

Goldie's eyes widened as well. I then pointed in the direction of the kitchen; getting his green eyes to follow after it. Some children looked back as well and I immediately let go of Goldie as I made my way back to my spot on stage; gaining their attention back onstage.

"So how did you like that song, guys?"

The heads turned back to me as the crowd clapped; giving me the signal that they had enjoyed it. I chuckled before stepping back a bit as I pulled a bit on the red curtain that circled the small stage around us.

Our shows were mainly consisted of me and Goldie performing like this. We usually perform a few skits and sing songs for the families that sat at the tables and dined on the foods Fredbear's Family Diner offered. Usually, the families wouldn't be that interested in the entertainment but of the food. It was normally the children that came up and watched us perform. Probably because of the parents needing to distract them with something when they finished their food.

I didn't have any complaints, though. It was fun performing for the kids. They were always so attentive, responsive, and actually well-mannered once you get the message that they can't go onstage or that they need to be quiet when the lights dim out.

But besides me and Goldie performing on stage, the Diner was just...well, a diner. The place wasn't that big and the stage we performed on was actually very small. We still had a lot of room to walk around on, but we didn't have many opportunities to do much. You know, rather than singing and....talking.

I then glanced back at the crowd that surrounded the stage and noticed that Fazbear made his way into the kitchen in the back. I felt myself watch the door for a few moments before snapping back into reality; turning back to the animatronic that stood beside me.

I asked, "Do you ALWAYS forget our songs, Goldie? You sing them all the time!"

"I don't forget them ALL the time," He responded as he clicked his head to the side. "Just when we're about to perform 'em."

A child snickered in the back.

"What happens when I'm not here, Gold?" I asked as I crossed my arms; giving him a look. "How are you going to manage to sing a song, then?"

"By taking your instruments and pretend I know what I'm doing!"

A couple of children nearby the stage giggled. I just shook my head; trading places with Goldie on the stage. He happily trotted along.

"Isn't is just a wonderful day, Springie!? The food smells great, the place looks clean, the air is fresh....It's almost like it's, well, spring!"

I rolled my eyes. "Haha, very funny."

Goldie ignored me as he turned to the kids. He asked, "Hey, kids, have you drank water today?"

Some nodded their heads while others shook theirs.

"Well, if you haven't, go drink a cup now! The Diner offers free complimentary waters! Go ahead and grab one!"

Some children immediately got up and went back to the tables to ask their parents for a cup of water. Goldie chuckled.

"Look at 'em go, Spring! Eager to get hydrated! Isn't that something you kinda' wanna' see more?"

"I suppose," I replied; giving him an odd look. This wasn't programmed in our schedule for today....

Goldie watched the children for a moment before turning on his metal heel to look back at me. I stepped back a bit in surprise; what with him moving a bit quicker than I expected.

He exclaimed, "Hey, Spring!"

I tilted my head. "Yes?"

"M-MY NAME IS GOLDIE!"

I immediately took a step back upon instinct after hearing his voice. His tone rapidly raised as he glitched in the middle of his exclamation; his head twitching as his tone appeared more mechanical-like.

I darted my eyes towards the children; who covered their ears from the increase of the volume of his voice. I then turned back to Goldie, who continued twitching as his eyes met mine.

I hesitated before saying, "Yes, I know. You feeling alright, Goldie?"

"THIS IS F-F-FREDBEAR'S FAMILY D-D-DINER!"

I felt myself cringe as his tone increased more to where he was practically screeching. The conversations in the diner immediately ceased as everyone turned towards the stage; all clearly surprised at the animatronic's outburst. Some children near the stage started crying as they pressed their hands against their ears harder.

I felt myself blink in surprise as I studied my golden friend across from me. The way he twitched, moved, spoke...

This wasn't like him.

The silence in the diner was interrupted by Mr. Faz immediately running out of the kitchen and hopping on stage. He then immediately grabbed Goldie across from me and had opened up a panel in a back; switching something so that we heard the screeching cease.

The diner fell into another state of silence.

Mr. Fazbear pulled his hand out and blew on it; giving the families a sheepish smile. My eyes glanced down to the panel; observing the wires and metal parts that were inside. He then took a hold from the curtain and stated in a microphone:

"Sorry, ladies and gentleman, but the animatronics are currently unavailable right now. Please check back later."

With that, he then closed the curtain so that they fully wrapped around the stage; blinding us from the rest of the diner. I watched as he quickly made his way out from the side of the curtain and left, leaving me alone with Goldie.

My gray eyes traveled onto him. He was currently standing; his jaw gaping open as his purple eyes were widened. They didn't have the light in them that reflected the usual white of his cornea; giving me the message that he had been turned off.

I tilted my head in concern as I continued to stare at him. What happened?

My thoughts were interrupted from the sound of footsteps coming over to the stage. I then turned my head in the direction of them and saw some of the employees start to come in with Fazbear following behind them. They then circled around Goldie; getting me to step back in order to give them room.

They waited for a few moments before picking Goldie up and taking him out from the stage and past the curtains. I looked over at Mr. Fazbear, who was currently fidgeting with a clipboard held in his hand.

He then looked up at me and smiled. He said, "Hi, Springtrap."

I felt my voice hitch in my mechanical throat. After a few moments, I replied, "Hello, Mr. Faz."

He let out an amused sound before walking over to me. He then started to walk in a circle around me; appearing to be taking some notes on my physical state.

After a few moments, he commented, "It's been awhile, huh?"

I nodded. "It has."

It really has been. The last time I saw my creator was a week after the diner had opened, which was about 10 months ago. He was only there to check up on the place and of me and Goldie; adding a few improvements to us before leaving for a practical year.

He then stopped as he wrote a few more words. He said, "You're looking good, buddy. I'm sure the employees have been taking good care of you, right?"

I nodded. He gave me a smile before stuffing the pencil back in his pocket; turning so he could continue to button the rest of the curtains so they remained in a closed position. I tilted my head in curiosity as I continued to watch him in silence.

After he was done with that, he then tugged on his jacket before looking over at me and giving me a nod. I didn't return the gesture or say anything as I watched his figure disappear within the curtains; leaving me to stand on the stage alone.

\--

The rest of the day wasn't that enjoyable.

None of the employees or Fazbear came back to check up on me ever since then and I was left to sit on stage alone behind the closed curtains. I thought it would only be for a couple of hours but no one came back for the rest of the day. All I heard were families' voices and the sound of utensils clattering against the plates as they enjoyed their meals.

It was a little unbearable; sitting down there and listening to all the activity continue without you. Not something I was sure I would ever get used to.

Eventually, I heard the voices start to quiet down as all I could hear was plates clanking against each other as well as water running. I could also hear wheels rolling against the floors as people seemed to gather plates up. Similar sounds continued like this for the past half hour until the sounds eventually faded.

When everything was completely silent, I heard the lights start to flicker off. A few seconds later, I heard the front door slam shut as the sound of it locking echoed within the quiet building.

I blinked; looking around as I realized that things were so dark. It was when I glanced to the left where I noticed a small amount of light illuminating from past the curtains.

Curious, I then quietly made my way off stage as I brushed the curtain out of the way. What entered my sight was of a door directly across the stage; silently open so it revealed the only light within the building.

I looked around before slowly hopping off of the stage and quietly headed towards the door. Once I was near, I then crouched down nearby it until I could hear the voices coming from inside.

"It's the 5th, right?"

"Yes. The 5th of May."

"Are you sure this is necessary to write down?"

"Of course it's necessary! If it happened once, then it's going to happen again. We can't take any chances."

I repositioned myself as I continued to eavesdrop on the conversation; keeping my distance away from the door. The sound of Mr. Faz's voice joining in on the conversation sent chills down my mechanical spine.

"Alright, everything should be functioning properly by tomorrow morning. All you really have to do is make sure his processors don't overheat during the night and that he needs to reboot himself before the diner opens tomorrow."

"But what was wrong with him?"

"His processing units entered a very unique breakdown while using the ability to communicate...It's really all just technical matters behind that. All I know is that it was fixable and that he should be fine by tomorrow."

"Has there been any breakdowns like these before, boss?"

"Only once before. It was on Springtrap about a month in when he was added. He had a problem with his programming and whatnot. It's what gave me the information I needed in order to add a few things to prevent that from happening in him and in Goldie."

I felt my eyes widen as I looked to the floor upon taking in the news. I...malfunctioned before?

"-I observed Springtrap's state before looking into Goldie's. Physically, there seems to be no problems. It's just having to deal with the wiring and programming in these bots is where it gets complex....And having Goldie experiencing a malfunction with this gives me more information on how to wire them the way I would like to."

"What way would you like to wire them?"

"To where the point where they're given realistic abilities on processing, transferring, and recognizing communication, touch, and interpretation. To where they seem realistic, but still have the block of the actual human senses and minds."

"How are you going to do THAT?"

"By collecting the information I have on Springtrap and Goldie and to be able to use that in order to create new animatronics. So far, I have 3 done that are based upon the improvements I have made in both Springtrap and Goldie. I am currently planning on a 4th animatronic to make, but I would like to gather more information before starting to physically build it. Once I'm done with them, I would like to add them along with Springtrap and Goldie."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise as I practically gawked at the door beside me.

New animatronics!?


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few minutes, I felt myself space out from reality as my eyes focused on the floor. The sound of the employee's voices were just a mere murmur in my background as I continued to picture the image of having new animatronics with me and Goldie.

How could that be possible, anyway? The stage barely provides us room as it is, and having more of us on stage would make it crowded. Nevertheless having to deal with the fact that Fazbear was planning on making them smarter than we were...

The sound of footsteps coming towards the door made my eyes widen as I immediately sprang out from my spot and ran back into the curtains. The breeze brushing past the fabric made it move a bit as I heard the door creak open. What followed after that was of various voices.

"So are we moving locations, or..?"

"No, we're just extending the size of the diner. We'll have a larger capacity that way."

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"Really just depends on how much he'll want. I'd imagine a month if he were making serious changes to this place. Otherwise, if it were a room, probably a few weeks."

Their voices started to fade as the footsteps disappeared into the hallway. The sound of the front door opening echoed within the silence around me. What came after that was the sound of lights flicking off as the last noise heard within the building was of the diner being locked.

\-- 

"Goldie! You're back!"

The sight of my friend made my eyes widen in excitement as I virtually smiled. Goldie chuckled as he continued to approach the stage.

"Sure am! I don't know what happened to me last time, but I feel a lot better, that's for sure!"

I extended a metal hand out towards him and he took it. I then lifted my friend up onto the stage as he gave me a nod signaling that he thanked me. Once he was on, he looked around.

"Where is everyone?"

That was when I realized that the diner barely had any occupants today. A couple of families sat at the tables as they continued to eat and a couple of individuals were getting their meals, but more than half of the tables were empty. Unlike a normal day, the diner was actually very quiet.

"I don't know," I shrugged as I turned to him. "Maybe everyone's just busy."

"Do you..."

Goldie's green eyes traveled to the floor as his voice faded. He hesitated for a few moments before looking back at me.

"Do you think I scared them off?"

"Who?" I blinked.

"The kids. Do you think I scared them off from last time?"

"Goldie, that's-"

I felt myself pause in the middle of my sentence. It sure seemed a bit ridiculous at the first thought, but once I thought about it, it was actually...possible.

Putting myself in the kid's positions, I'd be frightened, too, if I were to witness a breakdown from one of my favorite characters. The way Fazbear closed the curtains afterwards must've made them worried, too, what with making it of a larger deal to them than it seemed to be.

"I don't know," I responded after a few moments. Goldie released some air that represented a sigh.

"Guess we won't have much to do today, then, huh?"

"Well I wouldn't say that," I turned to give him a smile. "The day's not over. Usually, people dine at night for dinner. Maybe we'll have some kids to entertain then!"

"You think?" Golden asked; his metal ears perking up in interest. I nodded.

"I sure do! Besides, why doubt ourselves when there's so much to be happy about? You're back; all fixed and brand new! That, itself, is quite a miracle, isn't it?"

"Aw, shucks, Spring, you're making me blush."

I let out a chuckle as I looked around the diner; observing the meals the families were eating. The children often favored meals from the kid's menu. The most popular dish off of there seemed to be of the chicken nuggets as well as soup. On the other hand, a lot of the adult's dishes were quite varied.

"Say, Spring..."

"Yeah?" I asked as I turned over to Goldie.

"What did you do while I was gone?"

"I couldn't really do anything," I responded as my eyes made contact with his. "They kept me behind the curtains until you were fixed. I guess, without you, we really can't have a show."

"Spring, without each other, there is no show. Why, I bet I'd be the same position as you if we were to trade places!"

"You might have already have," I murmured.

"What was that, Spring?"

"Nothing," I responded rather quickly as I turned to grab my guitar. "Think we should practice some songs?"

"Well, no one's really here," Goldie commented as he looked around the diner. I shrugged.

"Yeah, but, it's probably been awhile since you've sang, right? You're probably a little rusty. We oughhta' fix it if you are."

"Good point," Goldie said as he turned to grab his microphone. "Gee, Spring, you sure think of everything!"

"I really do, don't I?" I smiled.

\--

For the rest of the week, nothing really happened in the diner around us. There weren't that many families as there used to be and it seemed that no one really paid much attention to us. I couldn't blame them; I really wouldn't want to approach someone like us after they broke down. It still kind of hurt; seeing us ignored over something we couldn't control.

I wanted to say that we have feelings, too, but we really don't. And that fact kind of hurts.

Goldie's been doing a lot better. He's still the same energetic bear that he usually is, only difference is that he's a lot more hesitant when it came to performing to kids. We didn't have that many children come up to us since the incident, but he'd always experience that hesitation when it came to interacting with them.

I can't imagine that being a good thing. The reason we were build was for entertainment; and experiencing something like that to experience doubt must lower our performance. Of course, that's just how I think Fazbear interprets it. If you asked me, I'd just say that I missed how things used to be.

"Spring?"

I glanced up; only to see Goldie standing in front of me with a concerned look. He tilted his head.

"You alright, bud?"

I sighed. "Yeah. Just...thinking."

Goldie nodded as he looked around the diner. After a few moments, he said, "I heard from the employees that the diner is closed today."

"Really?" I asked as I looked up at him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. It'd definitely explain why there hasn't been a single customer today, though."

I got up off from the floor as I took a look around myself. I wasn't really that focused today, so I had no idea whether there was an audience or not. But, as Goldie said, the place was completely empty.

"That doesn't make sense," I commented as I looked over at him. "If we were closed, then everything would be shut off, right?"

"That's what I would think," He responded. "We'd be shut off, too."

"Hm," I placed a metal finger on my chin in thought.

Goldie watched me look around in silence. After a few moments, he slowly asked, "Do you think...this has something to do with us?"

I looked back at him; my eyes widened a bit. I asked, "Why would you think THAT?"

Goldie didn't say anything as his eyes traveled to the floor. I sighed as I shook my head; my eyes wandering to the ceiling in thought. It's possible, but what would they want with US...?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door suddenly opening across from us. Thinking it was a family entering the diner, both of us immediately whipped around on our metal heels; only to be greeted by Fazbear's warm smile.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted as he made his way over to us. Goldie happily waved.

"Hi, Mr. Faz!"

He let out a lighthearted chuckle as he shook both of our hands. I felt myself observe him when he shook mine. How can he be able to treat robots like decent human beings..?

"Is the diner closed today?" Goldie suddenly asked; snapping me back into reality. Fazbear nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry, guys." He gave us a frown. Goldie smiled.

"That's alright! Is there a reason why, though?"

"As a matter of fact, Goldie, there actually is," Fazbear said as he stepped to the side. "Springtrap, Goldie...I'd like you to meet Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica."


	3. Chapter 3

Both of our eyes widened.

There, across from us, stood 3 different animatronics. One was a bear, a bunny, and a chicken.

The bear that stood in between the two was currently looking at us; his blue eyes sparking curiosity. The only attire he had was of a top hat and bowtie. The purple bunny that stood to his left only wore a bowtie that was a different color than his, what with it being red. The chicken standing beside them was only wearing a type of bib that I often saw toddlers wear in the diner.

I felt myself stare at the three in silence. Were they the replacements Fazbear had been talking about..?

"Hi!" Goldie suddenly exclaimed as he brushed past me; shaking hands with the bear. "I'm Goldie!"

"I'm Freddy," The bear replied in a rather deep tone. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Bonnie and this is Chica," The bunny said as he motioned towards the chicken that currently stood to the side. Goldie happily shook both of their hands. Realizing I wasn't introducing myself, I then stood beside Goldie and started shaking their hands as well.

"I'm Springtrap," I said to the bunny and bear individually with a polite nod. Once I got to the chicken, I felt my hand hesitate for a moment as her purple eyes locked with my gray ones.

"I'm Chica," She suddenly said; grabbing my hand and giving it a firm shake. I chuckled as I gave her a smile.

"I'm Springtrap. Nice to meet you."

She nodded before letting go and stepping back next to Freddy. I caught myself observing her movement. Unlike mine and Goldie's, it seemed to be a lot more faster and smoother.

"It's great to see you guys getting to know each other," Mr. Faz said as he gave us all a smile. "I hope you guys don't mind sharing the place with these three for awhile..?"

"Not a problem!" Goldie happily exclaimed as he glanced over at me. I merely nodded in agreement.

"Great! I hope it won't be any trouble."

"It won't, Mr. Faz," Goldie said next to me. "But you said our new friends are the reason the diner has been closed, right? Why's that?"

"I needed to get some time to have Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica ready so they can prepare to join you guys onstage."

"Wait," I gave him a look. "You mean they're going to be performing with us?"

"They will pretty soon," Fazbear replied as he gave us a serious look. "Right now, I want to ask you guys if you can show them around the diner? Help them get acquainted where everything is and explain a bit about the place?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Faz!" Goldie grinned. I felt myself mentally roll my eyes. He always agreed to everything.

"Great! Thanks so much you guys. I'm going to be back in a couple of hours. Please be careful."

Goldie and I gave him reassuring nods as we watched him walk out of the room and towards the front door of the diner. Once I heard the familiar sound of it shutting, I waited for a few moments before turning to the three new animatronics that stood across from us.

"You guys ready for the tour of the diner?"

Freddy gave us a nod while Bonnie and Chica exchanged nervous glances. I shrugged it off before turning to Goldie. The bear gave me a nod before motioning to the others to follow us as we led them towards the stage we perform on.

"Since Fazbear said you're going to be performing with us, I thought you should see the stage first," Goldie said as he turned back to them. "This is where we perform during the day. Our routines are filled with singing songs and performing skits while families dine on their dinners."

"That's all you do?" Bonnie asked; giving us a curious look. I nodded.

"Sometimes the children come up here and watch us perform. Mainly, though, it's just a side entertainment show."

"Interesting," Freddy placed a metal finger on his muzzle. "And you two are able to fit on that stage..?"

"Sure can!" Goldie said before happily climbing onto it. "Sometimes it's a lil' crowded, but it's a really great angle when you're able to see all the families having a good time!"

"Are we supposed to fit on there, too, Freddy?" Chica asked as she looked at the brown bear. "It doesn't look that big to me."

"That's what I thought," I murmured as I turned to observe the stage. Goldie gave them a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Faz will have it figured out by the time you guys are ready to sing along with us! He's smart, right, Springtrap?"

"He sure is," I replied.

"So this is a diner, right?" Bonnie asked; gaining out attention. "If so, where's the kitchen?"

"It's in the back," Goldie said as he made his way off the stage. "You wanna' see it?"

"Yeah!" Chica exclaimed. Goldie led them to the back where the opening of the kitchen was. There was a door to the side for the chefs and employees to enter the kitchen. The opening in the wall served as where you would both purchase and pick up your meal.

"Ooh," Chica commented a she leaned against the counter to peer inside. Freddy tapped her shoulder.

"Chica, that's not polite."

"Oh! I'm sorry," She gave us a nervous laugh as she pulled back from the counter. I felt myself smile.

"It's no problem, Chica. If you want to see inside the kitchen, I can show you."

"Ooh," She said as he brushed past the other three animatronics. "Can you? Please?"

"Sure thing," I replied, turning to look at Goldie. "You go lead Bonnie and Freddy to where the silverware is. I'll show Chica around the kitchen."

"Alright," Goldie said as he gave us a nod. "Have fun."

I returned the nod before opening the door placed to the side. Chica happily walked into it as I made my way after her; closing the door behind us. From the opening of the wall, I could see Goldie showing the other two of the utensils that were put in a shack.

"Ooh," Chica commented as she took a look around. Her hands were politely clasped down to her waistline as she observed everything. I felt myself tilt my head as I watched her eye everything with interest.

"Hey, Springtrap," She suddenly said; snapping me back into reality. "Where do they prepare the food?"

"O-Oh," I looked around. "They usually prepare it back here...Where I'm assuming the stoves are."

I then took her to the right of the kitchen where, to my surprise, were the stoves and ovens. Chica smiled as she looked around.

"What do they usually serve?" She asked as she peeked inside the cabinets. I shrugged.

"It's quite a variety. In the morning, they often serve breakfast foods like pancakes and eggs. During lunchtime, they serve sandwiches and such. For dinner, there's a lot of things people tend to buy."

"Really?" She asked, turning back to me in interest. "Like what?"

"Well," I rubbed the back of my head. "I can't say for certain. I see a lot of kids eating simple foods off of the kid's menu, but the main dishes serve quite more. I'd say a lot of meats and vegetables, mostly."

"Lovely," Chica merely commented as she took a look inside the stoves. I clasped my hands behind my back as I watched her from afar. The way she looked through everything....It was almost as if everything in the kitchen intrigued her. She had the same look of curiosity in her eyes like Freddy did when they first met us.

I cleared my mechanical throat. "Chica?"

"Yeah?" She asked as she turned back to me. I felt myself smile.

"Do you've an interest in cooking?"

"W-What? Me?" Chica sheepishly smiled. "Don't be silly! I can't even cook..."

"Have you tried it before?" I asked as I stepped closer to her. Her purple eyes traveled to the floor for a few seconds before she shook her head.

"No. Freddy, Bonnie, and I were only created a few days ago..."

"Really?" I asked; immediately eying her metal body with interest. When she noticed my gray eyes traveling her chest, she then took a flustered step back.

"W-What?"

My eyes met with hers. I said, "You look as if you've been worked on for awhile. Are you sure it's only been a few days?"

She nodded. I observed her for a bit until I shook my head as I took a polite step back. I asked, "Would you like to head back with the others or would you rather stay in here for a bit?"

"I'll head back," She said as she started to move past me. I felt myself stiffen upon the feeling of her metal body pressing against mine. Thankfully, it was only for a couple of seconds before she managed to open the door and exited in silence.

\--

One Chica and I exited the kitchen, we ended up having to look around to find the others. It turned out that we were in there for a bit longer than I had expected and were slipping a bit behind in the tour. Thankfully, we found the other 4 animatronics over at the tables. Once Goldie spotted me, he grinned.

"There you are, Spring! Did you guys have fun in the kitchen?"

"We sure did!" Chica exclaimed in front of me; happily making her way over to Freddy and Bonnie. I merely rubbed the back of my head.

"It was nice. Where are we on the tour, again?"

"I was just gonna' show our new friends where the families eat," Goldie said as he moved over next to me. "Mind explaining it for me, Spring?"

"Sure," I gave him a nod before motioning to the tables around us.

"The tables are spread out from the limited capacity in the dining area. There are some booths put to the side and there are plenty of tables spaced out in the middle. I often see families favor the booths while individual eaters tend to sit at the tables. We also have high chairs put to the side for toddlers to sit in as well as extra chairs in case we need them."

"Cool," Bonnie commented as he pulled a chair out; feeling the smooth wood lined across the seat. Chica stood beside him and observed the tablecloth as well as the condiments and sauces placed neatly in the middle of the table.

Freddy glanced at them. He asked, "There is a waiting area, right?"

"Sure is!" Goldie said as he pointed over near the front entrance. "See that sign? Families usually line up right there and wait to be seated. We have waiters and everything!"

"Do the waiters only take the beverages and the orders?" He looked at us.

Goldie glanced over at me; knowing that I was the one who searched into this stuff. I nodded.

"Pretty much. The waiters seat you and take your order, but you have to be the one to pick them up over at the kitchen. They usually give you a number for your order and the chefs call it when it's ready."

"Sounds nice," Freddy said before crossing his arms; watching Bonnie and Chica walk around the tables from afar. The two were currently looking over the booths; Bonnie feeling the leather on the seats while Chica observed all the sauces.

It was a rather odd thing to see. Since Goldie and I were so used to the place, anything normal like the tables didn't intrigue us whatsoever. But seeing new people so fascinated over the things we considered ordinary...It made me start to wonder.

"So, Springtrap," Freddy said; snapping me back into reality. "What kind of songs do you guys sing?"

"We mainly sing country," I explained. "Sometimes it's varied, though. All depends on what we're told to perform for the day."

"You have songs written for you?" Freddy asked with interest.

"Sometimes we do; sometimes we don't. Fazbear sometimes lets us try and write a song on our own after the diner closes and everyone is cleaning up. We've written a few, but a lot of them are made by the employees."

"How many songs do you guys have?" Chica asked; joining the group with Bonnie following behind her.

"Uh," Goldie counted his fingers. "I'd say around...fifteen? What do you think, Spring?"

"Sounds about right." I nodded.

"You guys have instruments, too, right?" Bonnie asked. I nodded, which got the bunny to eye me with interest.

"What do you play?"

"I'm the one who mainly plays everything," I explained; crossing my arms. "Goldie's the main singer and I sometimes serve as a backup, but I usually take over the string and percussion when it's needed. I mainly play the guitar and bass, though."

"You take over both?" Bonnie's eyes widened. "That's amazing."

I shrugged. "It's fairly easy once you've practiced enough. Do you guys play anything?"

"We haven't really tried," Freddy said as he glanced at the two beside him. "We were only created a few days ago."

"So I've heard," My eyes traveled over to Chica. "Has Fazbear mentioned it at all to you?"

"I don't think he has," Bonnie said as he glanced over at Freddy. "All we know is that we're going to be performing with you guys."

"I'm sure he'll explain it eventually," Goldie stated as he happily turned to me. "Right, Spring?"

I nodded; getting the bear to turn on his heel and engage in conversation with the other three. I took this chance to stare at the floor in thought.

As far as I could tell, these guys seemed as human as we are. Chica showed an interest in cooking, Bonnie was intrigued into instruments, and Freddy seemed really sensible. Their characteristics weren't very similar to ours, giving me the message that Fazbear intended for them to be different.

But why would THAT be necessary? We're just a side show, aren't we?

"Hey, Springtrap?"

I glanced up, only to have my eyes lock with purple ones. I felt myself stiffen as I realized Chica was standing in front of me with an attentive look.

I asked, "Yeah?"

"Do you like performing?" She asked. "For the families?"

I hesitated; registering the question in my head. After a few moments, I replied, "Sometimes."

"Really?" She tilted her head. "Why?"

"Chica, there are a million reasons I can tell you," I leaned in closer to her so my eyes met with hers. "But, trust me, you wouldn't want to hear anything I'd have to say. Goldie is more into this than I am."

"Of course I would want to hear from you," She said. "You're the smartest person I've met so far, Springtrap."

I felt something in my chest tighten.

I ignored this feeling as I let out a sigh. I said, "Sometimes, Chica, it's not very fun performing for people that often ignore you."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but we were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. All of us immediately turned to the entrance, only to see Mr. Faz walking through as he rummaged through his keys. When he glanced in our direction, he smiled.

"Hey, guys! How was the tour?"

"It went great, Mr. Faz!" Goldie happily. I refrained the urge to give him a glare.

"I was talking to our new friends, Goldie," Mr. Faz said as he gave the three a smile. "How did it go?"

"It went well," Freddy replied. "I'm looking forward to stay here."

"Me, too." Bonnie nodded. Chica was currently standing beside me, but didn't respond. Curious, I glanced over at her, only to realize she had been staring at me. Immediately, she turned away; placing a hand over her beak in embarrassment.

"Glad to hear," Mr. Faz smiled as he looked over at us. "Thank you for showing them around, guys."

Goldie smiled. "Anytime, Mr. Faz!"

Mr. Faz hesitated for a few moments. He said, "There is going to be some construction going on in the building, so I'll need to have you in the kitchen or the dining area for the next few days."

"What are you building?" I asked, remembering that the employees mentioned something about extending the diner. 

He grinned. "You'll see once it's finished."


	4. Chapter 4

Boy, did we have to wait awhile.

I didn't think an extension of the diner would take almost nearly a month. It reminded me of what the employee said back on the night when I had been waiting for Goldie. About how it'd only take a month if Fazbear was planning to make "serious" changes. That means it couldn't have been just a room, right?

"Uh, Springtrap?"

I blinked in surprise and turned at the voice. Bonnie was sitting across from me on a chair with my guitar held in his hand. He strummed a string and looked up at me, asking, "That's an H, right?"

"There is no H in music," I replied. "What you played was a D."

"Oh," He said. I could tell he was confused on what to do. I'd only been teaching him about how to play for an hour or so. It wasn't that easy to get the basics down so soon, and since Bonnie really wanted to learn how to play, I decided to spend my time teaching him. I didn't have anything else to do.

I leaned back in my own chair and crossed my arms, turning my head to look at the others behind me. Goldie was giving Freddy singing lessons and Chica was watching them. When she saw me looking in her direction, she quickly looked away and dug her head into the table cloth. I blinked in confusion.

"Okay, Springtrap, how exactly am I supposed to...read any of this?"

I turned back to Bonnie and saw that he was holding one of the music sheets I gave him. I said, "Well, the bass clef is different than the treble clef. Which one are you holding?"

Bonnie looked back to the page. He then threw it in the air and exclaimed, "I don't even know!"

The sheet danced around in the air before landing on the floor like a feather. The bunny slumped in his seat and set my guitar to the side. I picked up the page and scooted towards the table.

"Okay, Bonnie...as robots, we cannot read. But that doesn't mean we can't see. You get what I'm saying?"

"No. I don't get anything. All of this is confusing." He mumbled from the table.

I'm with you there, I thought. Shaking my head, I said, "What I do is study the key and understand where the notes are on my instrument. You don't necessarily have to read anything, but just see where it is on the lines."

"Really?" Bonnie lifted his head. "That sounds easy."

I nodded. I wasn't really lying; all I had to do to learn was to study the keys and know what to play. It didn't work with every instrument I used, but it was basically what I did. I had a feeling Bonnie would catch on quicker using that tactic. He seemed more interested in what was less complicated.

"Hey, Spring!" Goldie suddenly exclaimed from behind me. "Think it's about time to take a break?"

"Uh, sure." I said, getting up from my seat. "Just don't scare me like that."

"If I knew it was THAT easy to scare you, I'd do it more often!" He laughed. "Sorry, bud."

I gave him a dismissing nod. Turning around, I saw that Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were already sitting at a booth and conversing. Chica looked at me again, but waved this time. I smiled and waved back before grabbing my guitar and setting it on its stand. Goldie tapped my shoulder.

"Say, uh, Spring?" He leaned in closer to me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"That day....where I couldn't remember anything," He looked at me straight in the eye. "Did I break down?"

I didn't say anything. The morning when Goldie came back, he told me that he didn't know what happened. All he said to me was that he felt better. How on Earth could he know that he malfunctioned? I wouldn't have even known if I didn't eavesdrop on the employees.

"Why do you ask, Goldie?" I gave him a look. He shrugged.

"I just, uh....I think it's something called a 'memory'?" He tapped his head. "That's what it was labelled on my screen last night. Said it was playing an audio record, and I heard some people talkin' about me breaking down."

I knew what he was talking about. Sometimes, while we were shut off, things would play like that. I usually had screen recordings instead of audio. Nodding, I said, "Yes. You did break down."

"Man!" He exclaimed, chuckling. "That would've been my LAST guess! I wonder what caused it?"

I shrugged. "Beats me."

\--

The next morning, we awoke to the sight of the construction zone being taken down. It was in mid-afternoon that we actually saw the rest of the diner. And when we did, everyone stared at what was added. Across from mine and Goldie's stage lay a new one. It was much bigger, and a microphone was set up in the middle of it.

"Wow!" Goldie exclaimed, turning to one of the employees. "What's THAT for?"

The employee cringed away from him and walked off. Goldie blinked a few times before saying, "Well that's just rude."

"Guys!" Chica exclaimed, hands placed on her cheeks in excitement. "I think this our new stage!"

She ran on the steps that were placed to the side and stood on it. Seeing how much space there was, she started twirling and doing a cute little dance. Freddy and Bonnie both joined her, fascinated as well. I looked at Goldie and shrugged.

"What do you think this microphone is for?" Freddy asked, tapping on it. The sound echoed back from the ceiling.

"Freddy!" Goldie exclaimed and ran over to the front of their stage. "I think one of you guys are gonna' sing!"

"I hope it's not me." Bonnie stood beside Freddy and crossed his arms. "I like playing, not singing."

"Maybe it's Freddy?" I suggested. "You were built to be the leader, weren't you?"

It made sense to me. The leader of three would logically be the one singing, especially in a band. Freddy paused and thought about it. After a few moments, he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I was!"

Taking a step back, I got a good look at the stage. Unlike ours, it was much larger and had longer, brighter curtains. A lot of lights must have been put above it because it was pretty bright. Their stage had a sign behind them that was circled with lights. On it was the words labelled: Fazbear and Friends!

I glanced over to our own stage. The curtains were worn down, and it looked a lot more dull. Turning back to the newer one, my eyes widened in realization. Oh, geez...

"Congrats, you guys!" Goldie happily waved to them. "You're gonna' be performing and singing soon, I just know it!"

"You think so?" Freddy asked. Goldie and I nodded. Goldie's was probably because he was supporting them, but mine was because I knew they'd replace us. Why else would they have a brighter, attractive stage? I felt a tap on my shoulder, and instinctively turned around. Chica stepped back in surprise at how quick I did. Realizing it was her, my chest tightened.

"Sorry," I said sincerely. "I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." She looked at the floor. "I probably should have said your name or something.....I, uh, wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead." I gave her a polite gesture to continue. Apparently, that made her flustered because she quickly turned away.

"It's nothing." She dismissed, crossing her arms and keeping her back turned to me. I had to admit, that was cute. She was pretty small compared to me. I crossed my own arms in amusement and turned so my back was leaning on hers.

I said, "If it's nothing, Chica, then why ask me?"

She remained silent. I turned to look at her, and saw that she was covering her face in her hands. I felt my chest tighten more.

"Chica..?" I asked. I could feel her stand up straight on my back. When I looked, she was staring at the floor with her hands clasped down at her waistline. She took a breath.

"I'm worried about you."

I didn't say anything because it took me a moment to register what she said. I turned to her and asked, "Why are you worried about me?"

"Several weeks ago...when you told me that it wasn't fun to perform for people because they ignore you. What did you mean?"

I stared at the floor to remember what I said. Was that the day I met her? It seemed like it. If it was, then she had a pretty dang good memory. Keeping my back on hers, I shrugged.

"There's a lot to it to explain. I don't think you'd understand."

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked. I noticed that she wasn't looking at me. Was that why I was so tense?

"Because you haven't been in that position long enough," I replied. "You're performing for people that fear you because you are different. Once you realize that fact, entertaining isn't that fun anymore."

It took me awhile to realize it, too. For most of my non-existing life, I spent my time looking at the children in front of me or focusing on the purpose of what I was doing. All I had to do was look up and notice the adults that were cringing away from me. Not once would they have the same look as the child I performed to, and not once would they come near me. They focused on what I looked like rather than what I was doing.

It wasn't fun, and I had no problem telling her that.

I felt Chica shift her legs from behind me. She said, "I may not understand it, but I'm still concerned about you."

"Why?" I asked, turning to her with a smile. When she noticed the look I was giving her, she hid her face in her hands again. I already knew the answer, didn't I?

"Because...." Her purple eyes locked with my gray ones. "I like you."


	5. Chapter 5

For a second, my breath caught in my mechanical throat. Despite it all, I was not expecting that. At least not from her first. I let out a chuckle as best as I could to hide my nervousness and said, "I like you, too, Chica."

I felt her stiffen against me, then she leaned back. I turned to her and noticed that she was still digging her face into her hands. I couldn't quite blame her because I felt doing the same myself. I would have tapped her on the shoulder if she didn't suddenly shake her head.

"N-No...I mean, I really like you."

She removed her face from her hands and looked up at me. Again, I lost my unneeded breath at the feeling of her eyes locking with mine. Taking a gulp, I responded, "I know, and I-"

"What are ya' guys doing over there?"

The both of us looked up and saw that Goldie was standing across from us with his hand on his metallic hip. I felt Chica jump at my side, and she let out a noise. Immediately, I removed my back from hers and walked towards my golden friend. I said, "What did I tell you about scaring me, Goldie!?"

That was meant as a joke, but it came out too abrupt for my taste. He blinked in surprise.

"Well, gee, I'm sorry, Spring...You two were over there for awhile. Were you talking about something important?"

"I-It's nothing!" Chica exclaimed, jumping out from behind me. "Did you need something, Goldie?"

The bear looked at me for a second or two until turning back to Chica with that friendly smile of his. He said, "Yeah. Freddy was wondering if you'd like to be a backup singer for him when you guys perform?"

"Really?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "He'd like me to do that?"

I glanced over at Freddy from across the room. He was currently adjusting the mic on the stand and playing around with a bit. Bonnie was in the corner of the stage rocking an air guitar. My gray eyes darted back towards Goldie, whom was already shaking her hand.

"-Great! I can't wait to hear you sing! I bet you have a really beautiful voice, Chica!"

She placed a hand on top of her bib, clearly flattered. She said, "Thank you, Goldie. I think you have a really lovely voice, too."

She wasn't lying. Goldie was much of a better singer than I was, which probably explained why I was covering instruments so often. He had a wider range than I did and had quite the deep voice whilst performing. I could only imagine that Freddy would be the same way. Goldie took a polite step back.

"Thanks! I think the employees should be comin' back anytime soon. It's nearly dark."

The three of us glanced out of a nearby window, and I noticed how orange the skyline looked. I blinked. How on Earth could have time passed by so quickly? Goldie shook Chica's hand once again, then walked off towards Freddy to give him another lesson. Once we were alone again, Chica fidgeted with her fingers.

She said, "A-about-"

"I like you, too."

She turned to me in surprise and I gave her a smile. I didn't enjoy interrupting people, but I couldn't handle the thought of her being uncertain about this any longer than she already might have been. Blinking a few times to regain her thoughts, she asked, "Y-You do?"

I nodded. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

She didn't say anything, so I took this as an opportunity to step forward. She didn't step away like she used to. I crossed my arms behind my back and asked, "Just how long did you feel that way about me, Chica?"

"For a month, now." She shyly looked away from me. "I-I didn't think you'd feel the same..."

I opened my mouth to say something, but ended up shutting it. A month ago, we were all just waiting for that new room to open. Maybe all the time she spent alone with me is what got her to like me? We all seemed to get along better. I was hoping that another time like that would come soon.

"Well." I looked back up, watching her friends. "I do, and I'll be sure to tell you more about what I meant. For that question you asked weeks ago."

"Oh, you don't have to!" Chica placed a hand on mine. "I wouldn't want to bother you. I can only imagine what it's like to go through new people coming in."

My first response was to tell her that she wouldn't bother me, but I fell silent. I seemed to be taking in what was happening more heavily than Goldie did. I can understand why she thought I was busy. It's not that I am, necessarily, but I was just really stressed. Who on Earth knows how long I have until our own stage is removed...

Lightly grasping her hand in assurance, I smiled. "It's perfectly okay. Go ahead and check things out with your friends. I've to talk to Goldie, anyway."

"Oh." A tone of disappointment could be heard in her voice. Her purple eyes wandered to the floor before she looked back at me. I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted by her mechanical arms wrapping around my torso. Without hesitation, I wrapped mine against hears and embraced her. It was warm.

She gave me a smile before letting go. She walked off in the direction of her new stage. My eyes scanned the room for Goldie. He was chatting with Freddy with something held in his hands. I made my way over to them and casually strolled into the conversation.

"-call it, 'Thin Crust'. What do you think?"

"That's really clever!" Goldie exclaimed. "The representation is very accurate, and it's well hidden for the meaning! I like how you link it with pizza, too."

I paused on hearing Goldie say something beyond his vocabulary. Freddy didn't seem to mind it, though, because he was too busy humming something to himself. When he walked off, I took my chance to tap on Goldie's shoulder. He turned around and smiled once he realized it was me.

"Need something, Spring?"

"I've to talk to you about something." I said seriously and eyed what was in his hands. "What are you...holding?"

"Oh, this?" He held the object up in his hands with a smile. "It's something called a 'tutu'! Freddy told me it was originally supposed to be apart of Chica's design, but she didn't like it. So, he let me have it!"

With that, Goldie put on the tutu and let it rest around his waist. He did a twirl in front of me. The sight of it was weird. Not because of the gender norm associated with clothing, but because it was too sparkly and bright compared to our faded, worn out parts...Well, that, and he wasn't ever good at moving so freely.

"Listen." I put an arm around his shoulder, leading him away from everyone else. "You know what's happening, right?"

"Yeah!" He replied with a smile. "Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica got a new stage! They're going to be performing with us soon!"

I gave him a look, and he simply blinked at me. I shook my head.

"Goldie, they aren't performing with us. They have a separate stage built for them, and ours wasn't removed. It means that we're going to be two different shows."

He smiled agian. "Well, that's still good! They have a chance to play for the humans, and we do, too! Everything is great!"

I inwardly sighed. It was a hopeless attempt at getting Goldie to understand what I meant. He was positive and optimistic about everything. Him realizing that he broke down months ago was hard for him to take in as it is. So how on Earth would he be able to handle...this?

I found his green eyes innocently staring into my gray ones. I shook my head. "You're right," I said. "Everything is great."

"That's the spirit!" He gave me a hard pat on the back. "Come on. It's going to be night soon. We need some rest, huh?"

Some air got trapped in my circuits and I coughed. I nodded, though, and followed him towards our stage. I beat my hand on my torso a couple of times on the way just to get the oxygen out. He was stronger than I thought!

Goldie opened the curtain and lifted himself on stage. I took a look at Freddy's stage across from us. The curtains were already shut, and I could just assume that the three of them were sleeping inside of it. It wasn't as comfortable sleeping out in the open like we had for the past few days.

I heard Goldie say something, and I turned my head towards him. He was offering his hand. With no hesitation, I took it and helped lift myself onstage. The curtains were closed around us, and we found ourselves enclosed in darkness once again.

\--

I stayed up all night thinking.

One thing bothered me. Well, no. A lot of things did. Just one thing in particular bothered me more. It was something I knew I couldn't verbally get answers to. It was something I'd have to watch overtime in order to understand.

Why did our replacements have personalities?

The thought came up before. It was when I realized how humane the other bots were like us. But what was the intention of it? Goldie and I were wired completely bland. Neither of us liked anything to develop a personality. Sure, I liked playing instruments, but I didn't have a passion or love for it like Bonnie did.

Goldie did not, either. We were both programmed to perform and serve as a decoration for the Diner. It was a miracle that we weren't monotone with our dialogue or weren't expressive. Still, though. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica clearly held things we didn't. Fazbear had his reasons for doing this, though. I was just still trying to figure out what they were.

\--

"Up and at 'em, everybody!"

Goldie and I awoke to the familiar sound of Mr. Fazbear's voice. We peeked out of the curtains and saw that employees were setting the tables. Which was odd because I usually heard them come in and would wake up to that first. I saw Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica peeking out of their curtains as well.

Fazbear didn't head in our direction, but headed in theirs. He opened the curtains and took a good look at his new creations. I saw how uncomfortable Chica was, how excited Freddy is, and how bored Bonnie seemed to be. I looked beside me and saw Goldie's smile he would wear on his face every single day.

"Big day ahead of us." Fazbear said. "Follow your programming, you three. I installed it for you overnight. You should know what to do."

They all nodded. Fazbear turned back in our direction and headed towards our stage. He tied the curtains back and kept them out of the way. He looked at us and said, "You have no programs for today. Sing your old songs during intermissions, and everything will be good. Alright?"

"Alright!" Goldie responded. I didn't say anything. Fazbear noticed my hesitation and gave me a sympathetic look.

"I'll give you some tomorrow. I promise."

With that, he headed out of the room and out of the Diner itself. I was pretty sure that the employees thought he was insane for talking to his animatronics. Giving them looks as if they had feelings. It was all they ever thought, and I was sure of it. The parents, too.

I looked across the room and watched Chica flatten her bib while she looked around nervously. When her eyes locked with mine, she waved to me quite excitedly. I returned it and gave her a thumbs-up. Just to assure that everything would be okay. And apparently it was, because Chica looked away from me and seemed more relaxed.

I sat down on the edge of our stage and rested my head in my hand. I stared at the entrance door. Time to see what today would do to us.


	6. Chapter 6

Turns out that the installments Fazbear had for Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica included both improv and songs. The programmed scripts in them had comedy relief and character expression. It fascinated me. Goldie and I were only placeholders for written songs that had no relevance to us at all. Maybe others would relate to it, but we had no personality to run on. But, these guys....They were the actual thing.

When the Diner opened a few minutes after, the families that headed in for breakfast were intrigued by the new additions. A lot of the children came to watch the new bots in awe, and no children whatsoever came to our show. If they debated on doing it, they'd soon be distracted from how unique Fazbear and Friends!'s performance was compared to ours. It was fairly obvious to tell.

We didn't have any fun at all. They only had 3 intermissions all day, and no one paid much attention to Goldie and me during them. We never got much attention before, but now it seemed like we didn't get any at all. And it was just in ONE day! How on Earth would we prove ourselves useful if things kept up like this?

Watching Chica dance around the stage for the children, I clasped my hands in my lap and continued to admire her. Our stage wasn't lit, so no one could see us. Families were paying more attention to the theatre part more than they did to the food. We were never able to make them do that...

When Chica's eyes came across mine, a nervous feeling came to me again. I gave her an encouraging smile. She happily turned around and said her part of her line for the scene they had been doing. I lost my attention the first few hundred times they had done it. It was late dinner time, so things were bound to end soon.

"Hey, Springtrap?"

I turned over to Goldie, who was crouching down behind me and whispering. I asked, "Yeah?"

"Don't you think they're...overdoing it a lil'?"

I looked back at Fazbear and Friends!. They were performing just as they did before. Nothing seemed more exaggerated or pressed than the other times I saw it. Turning back to him, I shrugged.

I said, "Not really. Why do you ask?"

Goldie sighed and plopped down beside me. He said, "I don't know, I just...."

His voice faded and he started to stare off into the distance. I patted his shoulder. He was feeling neglected. Goldie was always the cheerful one who looked at the bright sides of things and found comprises for everything. Seeing him turn submissive about feeling like this bummed me out....

"Okay, everybody!" A voice announced from the speakers above. "That's all for our performance tonight. Check back tomorrow to watch Fazbear and Friends!"

With that, the curtains around our stage automatically closed, sealing us off from the rest of the diner. Outside, we could hear the audience applauding at Fazber and Friends!. It was only when their cheers died down that we were able to hear their curtains close. All that was heard after that was the sound of silverware clattering against plates and adult's voices.

\--

"Boy! What a day that was, eh?"

I gave a glance to Goldie. He looked at me with his usual grin. I guess he went back to his positive attitude just to try and cheer me up. We were still enclosed in the curtains that surrounded our stage. All we waited for now was to be shut down for the night. I guess things were postponed because they had to get to the others first....

"Yeah," I replied. "Quite a day."

None of us could sound monotone. The way Goldie and I were designed.....it was hard to sound sad. I guess the only way to tell was from how you spoke. I could tell the new bots had no problem with expanding their tones. They could sound shocked, pleased, happy, sad, confused...everything. Just one more thing that made us obsolete compared to them.

Cocking his head to the side, he asked. "Spring? You alright?"

Sitting up, I turned and gave him a smile. I replied, "Of course, buddy. I just want to get shut down already."

"Yeah." Goldie mimicked a yawn. "I'm tired, too."

I rolled my gray eyes and looked around at the curtains. They were starting to get worn down, and some patches were sewn on to hide the holes kids made. Some of the infants would rip through the fabric, and we had to go through three different sheets per year. Why couldn't we have bright ones like the new additions had?

"S-Springtrap?"

A whisper came from behind the curtain. It was barely audible, and the voice sounded feminine. I could already tell who it was before I pulled back the fabric. Chica's purple eyes came to meet mine, and she motioned for me to come outside. I looked back at Goldie, who was humming a song of ours and messing with his bow tie. I looked back at the chicken ad gave her a nod, carefully putting the curtains back.

I asked, "Goldie?"

"Yeah?" He asked and turned back to me. My eyes darted back to the curtains for a second.

"They left the front door open a bit," I said. "I'm gonna' go shut it. Be back in a few."

"You do that, bud!" He gave me a grin, followed by a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes and carefully slid out of the curtains. Once my hand let go of the curtain, I felt a pair of arms come around my waist. When I turned, I saw Chica crouching nearby me.

"Hey." I leaned down next to her. "You need something?"

"No." She replied, then looked behind her cautiously. She whispered. "J-Just..come here..."

She grabbed my hand and led me away from our stage. She went past hers and went into a dark corner of the building. She sat down and patted the spot next to her with a nervous smile. I complied and sat down in the spot. I could hear Freddy's and Bonnie's voices in their stage.

"I wanted to see you." Chica said. I chuckled in return.

"I can see that."

She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her purple eyes looked around the building before landing on me. She realized I was staring at her. Woops. I smiled nervously.

"S-Sorry."

"I....." She looked away for a second, then brought her knees down with a sigh. "I had a lot of fun today..."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. I felt the happiness die inside of me once I saw her look at the ground. Ears coming down a bit, I looked at her in concern.

"What's wrong, Chica?"

"N-Nothing!" She defended. "It's just....."

Her voice went lower, as did her eyelids.

"You....didn't..."

Oof. If THAT didn't hit me in the wires, I don't know what will. My hand slowly crept to hers and grasped it in comfort. She looked up at me, and I gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about how I feel, alright?" I said. "All I cared about is if you had fun or not, and you had a BLAST today. You did great on the set, you sung beautifully, and you looked amazing. If anything, I was euphoric today."

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. She asked, "What does...eu...pho....riac mean?"

I smiled and gripped her hand tighter. "Extremely happy."

Chica's eyes widened and a big smile came onto her beak. Her fingers entwined with mine and she scooted closer to lean on me. Her touch was warm. I swear my circuits heated every time she'd look at me. I glanced down at her figure and held her hand tighter, having the familiar, warm feeling spread through my wires. Simply amazing.

\--

"Did I play alright yesterday? Hold any notes too long? I kept getting confused on the time signature for the fourth song, a-and I think I messed up..."

Bonnie was struggling with putting on his guitar this morning. I fixed the strap for him, adjusted it, and slid it comfortably over his metal shoulder. He stood up straight and started to tune the strings. He kept glancing up nervously like I was judging him. Which I wasn't, really. He actually played pretty good.

"You played fine, Bonnie. Are you going to be performing the same songs today?"

"No." Freddy said. He adjusted the microphone stand until it was at a comfortable level to his chest. He added, "Fazbear gave us some new songs for today. I think tomorrow we'll be playing what we did yesterday...But I'm not sure."

"Hurm." I mused. It was weird that Mr. Faz already made completed songs for them. Especially from how they weren't covers and that they already played 5 of them yesterday. How many did he have, exactly?

I glanced over at Chica in the corner. She was sitting on one of the boxes set on the stage and practicing her vocal scales. She actually had a pretty good pitch. Especially since she was mixed with another male singer and another occasional male backup. If only she'd be the lead singer of one by herself....I'd love to hear her voice then.

"Alright, guys! Only 5 minutes 'til the Diner opens! You ready?"

We all turned and saw Goldie running towards the stage. Some of the employees were shifting around in the dining area and a few of them could be spotted in the kitchen. Sometimes, I wished I could go down there and help them. We could free roam everywhere but outside. Goldie once tried to help them the first week we were made, but he got yelled at and told to return back to stage. I knew that they were only angry out of fear.

"Yeah." Freddy replied and set his microphone on the stand. "We're ready."

He gave me a nod and I returned it. I climbed down the stage and headed with Goldie to our own. I turned around to take one last glance at Chica, and found that she was already looking at me. She gave me a wave and a thumbs up of encouragement. I smiled and felt the warm feeling come to me again.

\--

"Do you think Bonnie should try playing guitar?"

"I think he'd be pretty good at it. With his skills on the bass, he'd manage a lot with 6 strings."

"You two really like music, don't you?"

I chuckled. Chica held onto my hand tighter. Since our first late night talk, Chica and I met up more often. We'd talk in the mornings, too, but it was more private at night. I learned a lot about her in these past weeks. Her passion for cooking was much higher than I thought, and apparently Fazbear has been adding some information about it into her software. She was kind, sweet, and considerate. She had some insecurities and was ignorant on a few topics, but I didn't mind it. Everyone has flaws.

My favorite thing about her, though? Chica is a cuddler.

She positioned herself on my lap and held onto both of my hands. She felt extremely warm tonight. Maybe it was because how well the day went, or that was she happy with being with me. I secretly hoped that it was both.

"Springtrap?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Goldie alright with being...off show?"

I virtually frowned. Not only a few weeks after Fazbear and Friends! was introduced, the employees started to close us off during the day. We'd sit behind curtains and endure hearing the children cheering for the others and clapping at their performance. It put Goldie in a depressive state whenever they did(which was rare to happen), and it made us feel as useless as ever.

Luckily, though, they kept us on most of the time. It was only on the good days that they wouldn't.

Tightening my grip on her, I nuzzled Chica's shoulder. I said, "Don't worry about us. You guys are doing great. Keep at it."

"But..." Her purple eyes went away from mine. "I do worry. I want you guys to perform, too...."

"We do!" I exclaimed. "Trust me, Chica. We have fun. We've just been doing it a bit longer and things have changed for us, is all. I'm sure you'll be just as happy as we are being here."

I squeezed her hand in assurance. She noticed this and looked up from the floor, her eyes locking with mine. Smiling, Chica squeezed mine back. She laid back down on my chest and closed her eyes. I held her hands and nuzzled the top of her head and exhaled.

For the first time in forever, the silence I heard was actually comforting.


	7. Chapter 7

The time I slept that night, I heard an audio recording. Well, not heard, but it played on my screen while I was on Sleep Mode. I can't remember how long it went on that night, but it must've been for an hour or so. It was probably the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. I could feel someone walking by me, touching me, and looking at me. Long, sharp fingers digging into my panel and searching through my wires....

_How odd....Only one processor? Freddy has three....maybe four, I think. It's so hard to remember them all. I think I'm losing it again..._

_*Shuffle* *Creak*_

_'Fredbear'...oh! This is the one! 'Goldie' I think. I wonder why they call him that...he doesn't look so golden. Maybe just needs some cleaning....I'll add that to my list..._

_*Click!*_

_Yes, that's broken. It seems they all are on these...why do I expect they'll work? It's always the same damn thing..._

_*Scratch* *Scratch*_

_Pair of 2, as old as they are new. Spring and Fredbear...That's kind of catchy...should add that to some of my tunes...._

. . .

. . .

4 h . . .

ONLINE

\--

That recording went as fast as it came. I couldn't remember anything about it now. All I felt was that my wires were tampered with and my panel felt a bit loose....If only Fazbear were here. He'd fix me right up. Not that I was broken or anything. I sincerely hoped I wasn't. Why do I feel so weird, though?

I looked over at Goldie, who was currently waking up from Sleep Mode. The diner was getting ready outside our stage and I could hear the other animatronics starting to walk around and get ready. Our curtain had a few holes in it and I wondered where they came from. Maybe some kids got loose the other day and we didn't notice it? I hope that's what it was.

A yawn came from beside me. Goldie stretched and said, "Mornin' Spring..."

"Good morning," I replied and stood up. I started undoing the buttons on the curtain so they'd be ready to open once they were programmed to. Goldie stood behind me and nearly lost his balance. I looked over at him in surprise and found him steadying himself on the wall.

"Whew....Must've been a good night's sleep, eh? I feel tons lighter!"

"That's weird," I stated. "If anything, I feel heavier..."

A voice on the speaker interrupted us both. It took me by surprise from how loud it seemed.

**"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Fazbear's Family Diner! This morning we have a deal on our pancake breakfast. Today you will receive a FREE complimentary side of bacon or sausage, your choice. Fazbear and Friends! will start in just a couple of hours. Have a wonderful morning!"**

After the announcement went off, we heard families starting to talk and the cooks getting to work. That was odd. We rarely ever had specials. I wonder what the occasion was? It must be good. Or maybe Fazbear just wanted to start doing those...today was, what? Tuesday? Maybe that's a thing from now on.

"Sounds delicious," Goldie commented. "Or I'm guessing so. Everyone loves the breakfast here! Right, Springtrap?"

"Right." I nodded. I peeked out from the curtain and noticed that Fazbear and Friends!' was already open. They were just tuning up and getting prepared. Chica was looking quite busy this morning. I was hoping she'd look over, but I soon gave up and leaned on the wall to wait for our show. I guess I looked upset or something because Goldie looked at me just after.

"Don't be such a downer, Spring! Fazbear said he had songs programmed for us today. Do ya' feel 'em?"

"Not really." I shrugged. "Do you?"

"Well..." He looked down in thought. "A bit. 'Down the Road' sounds nice to play, doesn't it?"

I nodded. It did, but it felt like it was the only song programmed in me right now. I remembered plenty of others, but programs felt...special to us. They felt like a necessity and it was just as natural and timed for us as it is to breathing for humans. I'm guessing Freddy and theirs' felt different for them. They seemed to be more excited for theirs than we were for ours.

Speak of the devil. The curtains opened up right after my thought of that and we could see the families dining down on their breakfast. Kids were actually sitting in front of our stage. There were plenty more at the other one, but I was caught off guard to see any in front of me today. I felt myself virtually smile as I grabbed my guitar and got ready for our skit.

Goldie looked at me and gave me a genuine smile. He said, "That's the spirit!"

That actually lifted up my spirits. I decided to do some improv with our skit this morning. Setting my instrument aside and placing my wrists on my hips, I said, "Gee, Goldie! Look at all our visitors today!"

"Yeah," He said, going along with it. "Sure has been awhile. How have you been, guys?"

The children responded with a typical, "Good!". We didn't do much past that when interacting with our audience. I guess Chica and them were different about that because they were constantly calling out to them. Maybe that's another reason the kids were leaving us. We don't exactly know what to say to them or how to do things with kids besides singing to them...

"Today, we're gonna' go along with one of our classics." Goldie announced. "It's called...uh....what is it again, Spring?"

"Down the Road." I replied. Goldie nodded and acted as if he remembered.

"Oh, right! Down the Road. It's about moving on with life, even if you need a special someone there with you."

"Like a friend or someone you really like." I explained, hoping that it wouldn't gross them out. The kids were disgusted by each other whenever we mentioned love or anything of the sort. I certainly wasn't with Chica. I even looked over at her for good measure and found her eyes meeting with mine. We smiled at each other and I gave her a quick wink.

"Yeah, you're right, Spring." Goldie nodded. "A friend or someone you like. Could be both, too."

With that, we counted to three before performing the song to them. We sang it like we usually did, in the same key and the same melody. The children loved it and gave us a generous clap afterward. When we saw them actually stay and look at us attentively, Goldie and I hesitated. We were expecting them to go see Fazbear and Friends!, but I guess it's been awhile since we performed more than one song to our audience. Quickly, Goldie and I went back to improv.

"Thanks, guys! It's been awhile since we performed that song. I thought I was little rusty, to be quite honest." Goldie admitted.

"You really aren't, Goldie." I assured. "You sang pretty darn good. They loved you out there."

"Shucks, Spring. Say, why don't we perform another one of our classics? You can even pick one!"

"You just say that because you can never remember the name of them." I said, lowering my eyelids. The children giggled in front of us and I realized I've forgotten how it was to receive a reaction to a joke like that. We didn't do jokes much more in our skits, but we really should. That felt real nice.

"Yeah, you're right. How about we sing the one where you do a nice solo on your banjo?" Goldie suggested. I took a few moments to remember that one.

"You mean the 'Monkey Banjo'? Gee, it's been awhile for that one..."

"Nonsense! Your fingers are as quick as your eyes, Springtrap. I know you can still nail it."

It wasn't that I had trouble performing the solo, but it was that I was a little rusty on the lyrics. I did the best I could to remember some of the stanzas for it before I nodded and grabbed my banjo from the back. I wiped some dust off of it in embarrassment. A loud voice caught me and Goldie's attention, though.

"Look, everyone! Springtrap and Goldie are about to perform 'Monkey Banjo'! Let's watch!"

We both looked up and noticed that Bonnie was the one who pointed that out to their audience. That was really weird of him to do. All of a sudden, their audience got up and ran over to ours and sat down. We had a large portion of kids sitting in front of us and waiting for our song patiently. I looked over at Bonnie and noticed that he was just as intrigued as they were.

Goldie and I gave each other a look before shrugging and starting to perform. The song itself was pretty silly and different than the serious yet energetic country songs we played. We both started to sing:

_"I once knew a monkey_  
Brown as soil  
Tan to the lips and down to his toes  
He was fun and crazy, and the best of all  
He played a good tune 

_With a stick in his hand_  
He played as good as the sea  
But one day he found some strings  
A set of a drum  
Put the two together and he came with a song 

_It went a little like that_  
And a little like this  
It was crazy, it was fun  
It went a little like this and that:" 

On cue, that's when I performed my solo. It was one of the most difficult things to do, but my fingers were pretty thin and played it as perfectly as I remembered. It was about as fast as humans would hear country folk play with their fingers. I must've done well because everyone cheered once I was done and we didn't bother performing the rest of the song. It had around 2 solos in it, but no one needed to know that. They always tired my wires out...

Placing the banjo down, I took a moment to have a breather. Our joints can lock up like humans' and I didn't want that happening. I saw Chica clapping from her stage and giving _me_ a wink. I gave her a sore, virtual smile. I loved all the support I got from time to time.

"Springtrap!" Goldie exclaimed. "You did it a lost faster than you used to. What's your secret?"

"Time and patience." I replied. "Also, memorizing banjo chords."

The kids gave us a courteous applause before moving back to Fazbear and Friends!'s show. Goldie and I decided that's the most we're going to do on instruments for that day and switched to only vocal songs. A few loyal kids stayed with us as long as they could and I felt graciously appreciated that day. I wonder what made things so different for us...

\--

I helped Freddy and them clean up their stage when the diner closed. They needed help moving the instruments and they slept pretty close together so I spaced things out for them. Goldie and I usually had our separate corners of our circular stage and I appreciate making some empty ones for theirs. Especially since I wanted Chica sleeping away from the two other males with her.

"So, how did you do it?" Bonnie suddenly asked me as I was moving around the microphone. I turned to him in both surprise and confusion. Tilting my head, I asked, "Do what?"

"That solo. Banjos have got to be hard to play, right? How'd you learn?"

I placed a finger to my chin in thought. I couldn't remember where or when I learned, and it certainly wasn't in my programming because all of our instruments were real. I don't recall Fazbear just handing it to me, either. After a moment or two, I gave him a shrug.

"I honestly don't remember, Bonnie. I guess someone just left their banjo near our stage one day and I picked it up and practiced with it ever since. They never asked for it back so now I use it from time to time."

"You're self taught on that thing!?" His purple eyes widened. "How do you manage all of this?"

"You'll manage it too, someday." I gave him an assuring pat on his shoulder. "If I can, you can, too. All you need is some instruments given to you and, eventually, you'll learn. The best I can say is to memorize chords and notes before you try and teach yourself."

I lowered the microphone stand and set it to the side. Bonnie went quiet after that and I took my chance to give him a nod before checking the rest of the stage. They had plenty of room to sleep by themselves but I guess Freddy and Bonnie could cuddle if they wanted. Heh. I loved my jokes.

Chica gave me a peck on my mechanical lips before I left them for the night. Goldie made sure to tell them 'goodnight' and 'sleep well', like every night he does. Some days I wished I could be as considerate as he could be. I climbed on the stage and went in my usual corner and sat down to be turned off.

I had a sudden upset feeling in the pit of my wires. Like something else was going to happen, but it already happened before. Not necessarily bad, but something out of fear. What was it, again?

What was it...

What was it...

What was....i t.....

**SLEEP MODE ACTIVATED**


	8. Chapter 8

I guess it was just paranoia that made me feel uneasy at night. Whatever occurred before only happened once and I guess it scared me enough to feel like it was going to happen again. In fact, nothing I can remember has happened for a couple of months after that. I think it's because my panels are still loose and my wires were moved from where I was used to them being. Maybe when Fazbear fixes those small details on me I'll start feeling alright again at night. It's been two months now, and I'm starting to doubt I'll see him again until next year.

With the diner, well....Fazbear and Friends! was still catching families' attention. Goldie and I still had an audience, so that was good. We played our country songs while Freddy and them played something entirely different. We couldn't have two songs playing at once and it seemed that the kids were more interested in their songs than ours. I don't know why. Country is a big thing nowadays and it's the sole reason we were made. Maybe the youth just doesn't like it?

I was also right about those "specials" from last month. They now have that pancake breakfast deal on Tuesdays and now they serve fish sticks on Fridays. Whatever those are. Chica was the one into cooking and no one else really was. It even said so on her bib so every child would know her personality without hearing her speak. I guess food grabs people's attention too because I've noticed that there have been more people here than there used to be.

Chica was always there to comfort me and give me some hugs after every long day. I think it's the only thing I look forward to now and she was a big stress reliever for me. I never knew a sweet girl could be built to be so perfect. I guess it was just implanted for her personality and I really loved it. I've grown to love her, too. I just haven't told or mentioned it to her just yet. I ought to one of these nights...

\--

Today was an easy day and Goldie and I decided to relax a bit, meaning we'd only play background music for hours. I haven't asked Goldie how he felt in awhile. He was cheerful and optimistic as he usually was. He hasn't changed much and he still seems to be oblivious to things that I notice. I think something just tipped me off edge one day and I changed from this cheerful and outgoing bunny to a different per-...robot.

I felt like I was in state of distress all the time. I know humans would deny us feeling anxiety, but it felt real to me. Even if it was all in my robotic mind...or whatever. I constantly stress whenever I think about the day Goldie and I would be removed entirely and Fazbear and Friends! would be the new thing. I mean, they already were, but the "new", "NEW" thing. The thing kids want when they decide that what they used to like doesn't interest them anymore.

I shook my head and realized I had been playing the guitar endlessly. I stopped for a minute and looked over to Goldie, who was singing some song of his he made up awhile ago. I realized where I was and what was going on. It all seemed so normal. Families were eating, laughing, and children were watching us when they were finished. A sense of relief came to me and I continued to play whatever I had been before. My fingers memorized the rhythm I've been repeating for...what? An hour?

Goldie ended his last note and a couple of applauds came in response. I set the guitar to the side and Goldie approached me. He asked, "Springtrap? Why'd you stop playing? What's the matter?"

My mind was empty, so I shook my head and asked him to repeat himself. I heard him alright but I just couldn't comprehend anything. No sounds, words, noises...nothing. Shaking my head must've refreshed everything 'cause now I could see his eyes clearly on mine. He stared at me and then tilted his furry head. He eyed me up and down and I could tell something was wrong with him.

"What?" I asked, completely lost. Sure, I spaced out, but I didn't know what all these questions were for. It wasn't like him to interrogate me.

"Bud, you've been playing the wrong music for the songs I've been singing. I didn't say anything cause I though it'd be rude, but I know you're really good at what you do. Something must be wrong. What is it?"

I was flattered at the compliment but realized what he was asking. Telling him what was on my "mind" would probably take hours on end to explain...so I just gave him a casual shrug like I had been doing whenever he brought it up. I said, "I don't know. Just a bit slow today. My processors probably need some tweaking."

"Oh." He relaxed his metallic shoulders. "Yeah, it's been awhile since we've had a checkup. I still feel funky from that one night...you remember it? I nearly fell that day."

I smiled a bit at the memory and nodded. "I do, Goldie. I still don't know why we felt that way, either."

Goldie gave me a shrug in return and we both took a look around. It was the same thing we saw everyday and we could never get bored of it. I'll admit it's repetitive, but it's what we're programmed to do. I couldn't change anything even if I wanted to. I liked where I was and I need to enjoy performing while I could. Children were smiling and I was completing my purpose. Maybe all of this paranoia and uneasiness is all in my head....

No.

I shook my head again and stared at the ground. I couldn't keep denying it. I was already too far into this depression and there was no use in trying to change how I felt. They were completely new and we're quite old. We used to be the newest technology and the whole reason the diner did so well was because people were curious to see us. Nowadays they don't care much about us. It couldn't really be Fredbear's Family Diner without animatronics. If they removed us now, they would still have some to perform for us. We're just antiques.

\--

The next day, we did something really odd.

For the first time, Goldie and I performed on separate sides of the stage. We normally performed right next to each other, but now I felt I needed some space. I don't think I can go to being lighthearted and fun as he could be anymore. Even when we had a crowd before the new show, Goldie and I would stay in the middle so all of them could see us. Now, if we ever had another one, I'd be facing one side and Goldie would face the other.

I guess he didn't like this because he came to me after one song and asked about it.

"I've been feeling kinda' down, Goldie." I admitted to him. "I don't think I can keep up anymore."

"Why?" He asked. "Spring, you've always had your head up. When Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica came in, you'd still perform with me. You didn't let them get you down and neither did I. Why give into it now?"

I looked up at him in surprise. Did he...?

He noticed the look I gave him and he nodded. He said, "Springtrap, I've felt it, too. Only last week, though. They're shiny, their stage is brighter, and they're more interesting than we are. But I'm not gonna' give up because of that. Fazbear kept us here for a reason and I'm sure we're not going anywhere if we show him that things like that can't get to us."

He had a point. Fazbear kept us here and we didn't know why, but that was a pretty good theory. Maybe he was testing us? I don't know why he would because he's only here 1 or 2 times a year, but it was better than what I was thinking. Either could be true, but I decided to believe Goldie's more. It'd be the best for us.

Goldie noticed my optimistic spirit and gave me a virtual smile. He said, "I know you need some space, bud, so how's this: we'll perform the songs on our sides, and when we do skits, we can go back together. How's that?"

"Sounds great." I nodded. Goldie gave me a nod in return and went back to his side. He started warming up his vocals for our next song. His plan would work out for me great. That bear's a lot smarter than I remembered and I'm glad I had him as a friend. He's helped me out a lot within this year and helping me adapt to the change. I still wish I was the one helping him all the time...

\--

We had a free day a week later. I guess since one of the stoves caught on fire a couple of days ago the chefs were taking some time to check the whole kitchen. I heard them earlier discussing that they didn't want another inspection because the place was a mess. I guess Fazbear gave them the green light to take a day and check and clean everything just in case.

Chica was setting all the tables and booths in meantime. She organized it a certain way and I caught it right off the back. She'd put the salt and the pepper in the center, ketchup and mustard to the side(adjacent), steak sauce to the left, and then the hot sauces in the middle behind the salt and pepper. I didn't know if she based it off of what was set before, but it was pretty impressive to me. I don't think Goldie or I could memorize patterns like that so well.

We were all hovering the table area and the chefs didn't mind us because they were busy with their own thing. Currently, Freddy and Bonnie were staring at the salad bar. It looked as foreign to them as it did to us.

"Huh. When did they add THIS?" Goldie asked to himself. I was asking myself the same thing. This just proves how much I've been neglecting the things and people around me. Heck, Fazbear could've been here and I wouldn't have noticed! I really needed my panel tightened....

"Ah!" Chica exclaimed and joined us. She said, "It's the Salad Bar! They serve salad, pasta, fruits, drinks, veggies..."

Her purple eyes wandered a bit before she hesitated. She continued, "Ch-chicken.....and pizza..."

My eyes widened. Oh. That's right. She's a chicken. I'd only imagine stuff like that would be programmed to make her uncomfortable. I don't know how I'd feel if I saw steamed rabbit on here, either...Maybe Bonnie would mind more than me if it did happen. Do people even eat bears?

"That's neat." Freddy commented. "I don't see a lot of people dining here during the day, though..."

"I can't blame them." Chica shook her head. "These things are never fresh. I'd order the dinner over this stuff, too. I'd be the one making it, though!" She then leaned on the edge and looked up in a dreamlike state. She added, "If only.."

The rest of us gave each other shrugs and continued to walk around the Diner. We've already practiced playing and singing for a 1/4th of our day so walking around seemed more productive to us. I'd like to go and peek on the chefs but I know they'd snap at us. They were always moody. Why weren't there any employees here to talk with now? Sure, they'd be rude, but wouldn't threaten a robot with their knives!

A feathered hand caught mine and I started to lean back a bit before catching myself. I turned over to see Chica playfully tugging my hand. Not knowing what was going on, I asked. "Huh?"

"Freddy taught me something while you were practicing your guitar! Come with me!" She exclaimed, insisting that I went to the middle of the room. I was intrigued on what she wanted so I let her lead me. I could feel the eyes of Bonnie and Freddy on my back and I didn't bother turning around. I wonder why they were staring?

One we were in the middle(which had plenty of blank space, mind you), Chica stopped. She held my hands and looked up at me and asked, "Do you know how to dance?"

"Dance?" I tilted my head. "I've never tried. Why?"

"'Cause I want to dance with you!" She said. "Freddy taught me a little bit earlier today and I wanted to try it on you."

"Ah." I said. I've seen people dance before and it was usually some adults if we ever played any romantic songs. I guess country was popular with them, at least. The dances they performed involved a lot of closeness and holding hands, so I was definitely up for it. I said, "Sure. What did you want to do, exactly?"

"Oh, Freddy told me this wasn't a big one. It's just waltzing." She said. "Unless...you know any others you'd want to try?"

A sudden thought occurred to me. The waltz was better demonstrated with a physical example instead of a solo one, I believe. I turned to look at Freddy at the kitchen area and noticed he was watching, eyes widened and mouth agape. The others looked surprised but not nearly as much as him. A tiny bit of jealousy came into me and I froze. Why was he teaching Chica to dance? Especially one that involved a lot of closeness?

What was he up to?

"Springtrap?"

I turned back and noticed Chica was still waiting for an answer. I shook my head to remind myself I was with her and gave her a virtual smile. I said, "Whatever you'd like to do, Chica. I'm fine with anything and, remember, this is my first time dancing."

The chicken smiled and immediately went into position and instructed me on where to go, how to do it, and everything a teacher should tell you how to do. It was a fairly simple dance and, from what I've heard, it's one of the easiest dances to do. At least Freddy didn't teach her any...worse ones. If you know what I mean? I always had that sense of insecurity because Chica was the only girl surrounded by four guys.

I decided to shrug it off and enjoy my little lesson with Chica. I don't know how Freddy learned to dance or why it might've been in his programming, but Chica caught on well. She danced real good and I had no idea how I was doing. She seemed to be having a great time, though, so I enjoyed this time with her. Feeling her lean on my chest and hold my hands reminded me of why I was still hanging onto hope.

Resting my head on her shoulder, I told her that I loved her. When I felt her stop dancing, a sense of panic came to me until I saw a tender look in her eye. I didn't know what it meant until I heard the words: "I love you, too."

She came up and nuzzled my nose, in which I returned. I could hear Goldie hollering in the background and I held Chica closer so she wouldn't look at him.

"I KNEW IT! SPRING, YOU SLY RABBIT! I KNEW YOU TWO HAD SOMETHING!"

Chica looked up at me and I gave her a motion to ignore him and continue waltzing. Goldie was too excited about everything and I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it for awhile. She told me she wanted to make our relationship known with them. It felt real nice once we did and I regret not doing it sooner. I felt like a big weight was lifted off of my head. It cleared my thoughts and it relaxed me to know she felt the same.

This is what I needed to keep going.

\--

The two of us stopped once Chica's legs started to tire. It was early evening when we did. Bonnie immediately went to asking her about it while Freddy spent some time alone at a booth. When I went to him, Goldie gave me the hardest slap on the back I've ever felt. I could see the yellow in his eyes start to move, which was usually a signal if his wires were heated or he was just too excited. The latter was obvious. My ears dropped at this and I rubbed my muzzle. Oh, boy....

"Spring! Why didn't you tell me!? You two are so cute!"

"I know." I replied, climbing on my stage and taking a seat on the edge. He joined me and hung by my side, looking around the Diner. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts and planning out his questions, which was a relief for me.

"Seriously, though. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't think it was important to you guys." I replied, gray eyes traveling over to a brown figure in a booth. I continued, "Knowing that it was, I wish I would've done it sooner."

"What do ya' mean?" Goldie asked, trying to track where my eyes went. I shook my head and merely replied that it was nothing. He wouldn't understand. I was pretty sure he wasn't one too keen on love. I know in the new bots, it was something they were allowed to feel. I guess I got extremely lucky.

"Well, I wish the best for you two." Goldie suddenly stood. He added, "I'm glad you and Chica are happy. Leaves the three of us lonely, haha."

I turned to give him a look. I started," Goldie-"

"No, it's fine! I've still got YOU." He said. "Goodnight, bud. I'll see you in the morning."

I gave him a nod. "Night."

The bear went to sit in the corner by himself and stare off a bit. I was sure one of the chefs would come and turn us off. It was probably best to end things early today because we didn't really do much. I watched Chica and Bonnie chat while Freddy made his way to his own stage and sat much like Goldie did. I think I know why he's acting like this...

I never knew how right I'd be, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I realize I wrote this piece a month after FNAF 3 came out. As we all know, the fandom is usually slow and takes awhile for someone to finish the game and see everything. I think I made this in the midst of everything, which explains why Goldie isn't called Fredbear and Springtrap isn't called Spring Bonnie. A lot of this isn't "canon" and I usually write my FNAF fics basing off early stages of all the games. You may know everything now, but I was there when we were still debunking the Bite of '87.


End file.
